Upkeep of roads vital: Maru

THE maintenance of roads is crucial to economic growth with 89 per cent of people and freight relying on roads for transportation. National Planning and Monitoring Minister Richard Maru was in Lae on Friday to receive construction equipment and boats from the Japanese government. “The Japanese support to the Department of Works in terms of capacity buildingon road maintenance over the past five years,” Maru said. He said there was also a need to revitalise and build capacity to ensure the sustainability of the Plant and Transport Division which would go a long way in the road maintenance. Maru said Papua New Guinea was good in building roads but bad in maintaining them. The National Planning and Monitoring Department was developing a five-year strategy which included carrying out maintenance on roads. “The country cannot be developed if we have roads that are not functioning all year around, either in the city, towns or in the rural areas,” he said.